Luthier Tom Smith, founder of T.W. Smith Guitars, in his Clayton, NC workshop
Meet the Builder

Tom W. Smith

A self-taught luthier hand-building custom electric guitars & basses in Clayton, North Carolina — one instrument at a time, since 2008.

2008Building since
OneBuilder, start to finish
20+Custom body shapes
The Origin

How It Started

Tom W. Smith built his first guitar in 2008 with no formal training, no mentor, and no shop — just hand tools, a book, and a video tutorial. What started as a single project turned into an obsession with getting every detail right.

One Set of Hands

Self-Taught, Start to Finish

Every T.W. Smith guitar is built by one person — from rough lumber to final setup. No team, no assembly line, no outsourced parts. Tom handles the woodwork, fretting, finishing, electronics, and setup himself. Every mistake over 18 years of building became a lesson that shaped how these guitars are made today.

Every Detail

The Standard

These aren’t modified production guitars. Exotic tonewoods are hand-selected for every build, and the specs are fully custom — scale length, pickup configuration, neck profile, hardware, and finish. Every guitar is drawn, cut, and built from raw lumber.

20+Body shapes
100%Custom specs
6–8String & bass
From Raw Lumber

The Build Process

Every instrument starts as rough wood on the bench and is shaped, routed, assembled, and wired by hand. A look inside the build:

T.W. Smith guitar parts and necks laid out on the workbenchRaw maple guitar body blank being shaped in the T.W. Smith shopRaw burl-top V-style guitar body with routed pickup cavities, in progressQuilted maple guitar body with hardware mocked up during a custom buildCustom guitar body and neck in progress on the workbenchLuthier hand-assembling a custom guitar at the benchInstalling the bridge on a custom T.W. Smith build by handFitting the bridge and controls on a custom guitar bodyWiring the electronics and controls during a custom buildShaping a raw burl guitar body by hand with a file
The Process

Built With You, Not Just For You

Every custom order starts with a conversation. Tom works directly with each player to spec out exactly what they need — no sales team, no middleman. You get build photos and updates throughout the process, and the final setup is dialed to your playing style before it ships.

Ready When You Are

Start Your Custom Build

Tell Tom what you’re after — he’ll take it from there.

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